Image: Weather.com
I really do try hard not to be a whiner. After all, we have to be good models for our kids, right?
And, I’m sitting here, sweat dripping down my neck, but blessed with a generator roaring in my garage to power up my ancient laptop to write this, so life can’t be all that bad, huh?
Though our week-long vacation (first of the year for me!) was thwarted when Irene threw a tree on the family river cottage, leaving us scrambling for other options, I am trying to reflect on the positive and what I learned from Irene. I hope this lifts your spirits in the process.
1) Stockpiling is useless, but fun! We now have four loaves of crappy bread, 3 tubs of peanut butter and enough jelly to dress up biscuits for decades, plus a bunch of Chef Boyardee. Thanks, hubby for doing the shopping! The Ramen was a nice touch, too.
Et tu, Panera Bread? Empty shelves after Hurricane Irene
By the time the power went out and we were hungry enough to look around for grub, our neighbors came over with a nice, baked chicken so the pb & j thing went right out the window, with my thanks. We were so cagey today that we tried to hit somewhere, anywhere with vittles just to get out of the house, but Panera was a little bare.
My three hoodlums rockin' out to Wii Dance Party
2) Wii Just Dance Summer Party rocks. For realz. When we were all cooped up and the generator started rollin’, this Red Box rental saved our lives, got our booties shakin’ and kept my kids from fighting for at least ninety minutes.
Of special note: Maniac. She’s dancin’ like she’s never danced before.
3) My kids cannot be entertained without electronics much longer than 4.5 seconds. If this generator had not been handy and I had not charged up the iphone, iPad, and DS there could have been TOTAL AND COMPLETE ANARCHY.
My middle kid: mom, what can we do now? How 'bout now?
4) The best-laid plans for a vacation, at least in our household, aren’t really ever gonna come to fruition. Eight years ago, when Isabel hit Richmond, we had a 3-day trip planned to the Florida Keys with friends when the Richmond airport announced they were closing.
I was starting a new job soon after so couldn’t delay the dates, so the trip never happened. During Irene, I was supposed to visit my dear friend in Philly and couldn’t, then Monday we planned to go to the Northern Neck for a week, but a tree is now inconveniently resting in the middle of the front porch of the house.
It could worse, we could be this guy, right?
5) It could always be worse. I mean, this could be our house, right? >>>>
But it’s not. So I’ll sip this cold malty beverage and revel in the beauty (and heat: love you Dominion VA Power! Know you’re workin’ hard!) that is this day post-Irene.
But you still can’t make me like her.
